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Riley could care less. He had no doubt that he was going to get it from his woman when she got home later, he knew damn well that that was the underlying threat when she said that she’d deal with him later, but he literally could give two fucks. She’d be lucky if he didn’t stake out the damn station house and follow her around if she was going to be putting her ass in danger like this.
There was a lot of activity across the street with cops coming and going along with the ambulance. He breathed easier when he saw Celia step out onto the sidewalk in the afternoon sun, and it hit him again in the gut just how fucking gorgeous she was. It was totally inappropriate, and the wrong place and the wrong time, but he felt his body respond.
His adrenaline was still amped up, and the severity of what he’d done was now kicking in, but he knew he’d do it again if the situation warranted because fuck it, she’s his woman, and it’s his job to keep her safe no matter what the hell she says or thinks. If she gives me any shit, I swear to fuck I’ll have that precinct closed. I’ve lost my fucking mind, he thought right behind that thought.
He pulled out his phone and dialed. He watched as her brow creased when she looked down at her phone. He saw the little smile that played across her lips too when she saw it was him and felt his heart warm. “What do you want, Riley? I’m in the middle of something here.” She walked a few steps away from the others giving him a better view of her face but had no idea that he was sitting across the street watching her.
“How long are you gonna be, baby?”
“A while, why?”
“Nothing, you’re hot.” Celia whipped her head around, searching the area for him. In all the fracas, she’d completely forgotten that she’d asked Constance and Lenore to keep an eye on Simpson’s office. She looked across the street at the diner and saw the two women first with their faces pressed up against the glass and could barely make out the outline of someone else sitting at the table behind them.
“What’re you doing in there?” He’s too damn much, how did he even know? It was too much to think about right now. She had to take Don down to the station for questioning while they sent Stella off to the hospital under guard, not to mention getting in touch with Detective Branson to let him know where they were at since he was gonna want to have a talk with the two of them regarding his case.
She was no longer doubtful about their involvement in that case, but now she was wondering with the expertise with which Melissa Sherry had been killed and the fact that in Branson’s case, there had been nothing left at the scene either if there might not be more victims out there. No way were these two first kills. Which meant she was gonna have to go back over all similar cases with a fine-tooth comb.
“Having lunch, did you eat?”
“Riley, I’m at work, you just saw what happened in there…”
“Not my problem, I’ll pick you up something and drop it off.” He hung up the phone and watched her stare down at hers before glaring across the street in his direction.
“Oh, you’re giving her fits. That’s good, that’s good. She ought not to be running around getting shot at.” Lenore spoke as she stared at the sight across the street, not wanting to miss a thing.
“Lenore, you hush, don’t encourage that boy. Look here, Riley, you’re just like your old man, stuck in the dark ages. Your poor mama used to have a time of it keeping him in check.” Constance berated him good-naturedly.
That’s not how Riley remembered it. For as long as he could remember, his mama had led his poor daddy around by his nose. He looked back across the street at Celia, wondering just what kind of hell she was going to make his life.
He was suddenly filled with a wild sense of anticipation for the future and what it may hold. For the first time in a long while, he felt immense joy the kind of pleasure you feel when you’re happy to be alive and feel like you have so much to look forward to. She’d given him that had been his light in an otherwise dark world when things had gone to shit a few months ago. Fuck if I’m gonna let anyone take her away from me. Her little ass will just have to deal.
CHAPTER 35
“She wasn’t always like this. I don’t know…” Don rocked back and forth on the chair in the interview room down at the police station. It felt like he’d just lived through a lifetime, but in actuality, it had only been a few hours. The female detective looked way too confident, and he was beginning to think that this was the end of the line for him.
